Cate's Counseling Corner

  👻🎃 Halloween 🎃👻 Halloween can be so much fun, but in times of COVID we are all muddling through thoughts of "is it safe to go trick or treating" or "I don't want to take away something so fun for my child" and we are struggling to find the balance.  COVID has created many different barriers but it has also offered us many different ways to be resilient. After reading through different information on what is best in terms of Halloween I have come to the conclusion that no answer is the right answer because everyone is in a different headspace. I have, however, come to some creative solutions to offer to you on for Halloween. 🍬Candy is obviously the biggest draw from kids and Halloween (or the biggest draw for me), so what if you told your kids that they can walk the neighborhood without getting candy or going door to door and then when they come home you would offer them their favorite candy bar? Not only would they still get the draw of being able to walk...

 Protecting our children As adults who care about children, we always want to protect them. This may be protecting them from safety, it could be protecting their feelings or never wanting your child to feel discomfort. What does this do to a child? Does this allow your child to understand that discomfort is the root of growth, or that acknowledging your painful emotions is a sign of strength, or even that feeling anxiety is a way to keep you safe?   Sometimes, as adults, we hinder our children from growing up and learning life skills. We want so badly to keep them safe but at times we must allow ourselves to let our children grow and go. Surprisingly enough, our kids want this to. Our kids want independence. They want to experience life and they want to experience what life has to offer THEM (not what life offered us).  One main idea that is involved in active listening is to not offer your own experience. (there is a time for story telling but its not all the time)....

Children and Responsibility As parents, we want our children to succeed at all costs. We struggle with letting them take responsibility because sometimes its easier if we do it. Although things get done in our time, we are not benefiting our children by doing things for them. We hinder their learning experiences and we hinder their ability to take responsibility and take accountability of themselves. Kids want to be independent, they want to thrive and they want to show the world that they can take charge. (no wonder kids go a little crazy when they get freedom).  These are the days that we can help kids and start to implement changes in the household to help kids take responsibility and to encourage increased independence! Here is a list of things that you can implement at home that will benefit your child in all facets of your Childs day! Have your child: Make their bed Teach them how to wash their clothes (if age appropriate) Have them care for a pet (without asking) Have them c...

  The Power of Words and Decisions I think we forget how powerful our words can be. A few days ago I was presented with a wonderful opportunity and I had to wrestle with my answer of yes or no. Our answers have weight, they have power and they have opportunity. The opportunity to say No or the opportunity to say Yes can change the trajectory of your day, your week, your month, year, or life. What happens when we allow ourselves to lean into the power of our words and really take time to make decisions that can create an impact. Decision making can be a quick or slow process depending on who you are and how you chose to make decisions. Each decision should be made with thought, processing what the pros and cons would be and exploration of what you are hoping to achieve with the decision that is in front of you. What would it be like if you stopped, thought of the pros and cons and really put your heart into the big decisions of your life? I know we live in such a fast pace time ...